Protective device for fluid-heaters.



H. E. LOVEKIN' PRoEcnvE DEVICE Foa num Hamas.v

APPLICATON FILED DEC.29| 1915. Lhl l Trimmed Non 2T, M1?

R. E. LOVEKIN.

PROTECTIVE uEwCE FOR FLUID HEMERS.

APPLICATION HLED DEC.29.1915.

luened Nov. 27, 10U;

2 SHEETS-SHEE 2- il l) -eotive poteotive device for closing Controlling the Jnel implication filed 'eoembe ica, sind resldent of the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have inaf'ented certain new and useful lmprove-- ments in Poteotve Devices for lnid-Heeters., of which the following is e tine and eliaet description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which Aform o part tlie'eo..

ll/ ly present invention is designed :for use in connection with (lowest-io weten lieateis, steam genemioi's and other-Huid heaters in 'which the heet absorbed is derived from 'the combustion of Huid fuel, and the object oil. my invention is to provide a. simple ond eil n 'valve snppl7 on :i rise in tem-- pemtnre or the fluid heated to o, pi'edeteimined maximum velue.

The Various features of novelty Wliioli characterize mjy invention me pointed ont viti@ V:ntienlfoily in tlie claims annexed to and oniing o part ot this speoieotion. For e. better Understanding' o1- tlie inventionj however, and the advantages poss sse/d, by it, reference should, loe l od to the accompany inge' dim j and doseiipl'ive motten in 'Wliiel'i l lio-ve illllstieted :ind desoiilied p'1?e- 'Eoims of appomtos embodying' my invention.

@if 'doe drawings:

Figure l is :L View sl Wing; o, gos equipped "with my invention:

Q is a` seo'tionel elevoon of the pro.- 'teeti'm mechanism piopef employed in limiter s a View token similailf,T to Figi. Z showing; slightly modified construction; and

Fig". "Il is also o View token similarly to Fig. Q showing still :mother modification. l

lin the domestic water heater shown in Fig. l es on example of one of the numerous forms of' "Huid heaters with which my invention maj; loe mlvmitoxgeonsly employed A ieposents the limiter proper; il the cold Wet-ei inlet tlieeto, and A? the hot wete? outlet tliei'efiom. 'B represents rho lamnei `tor heating the wolof; is a tlieiniostntie volvo noi'inolly controlling" the Enel supply to the loucnoi ll through the tuoi snpply pipo ll? ond represents the piote ,tive valve ploeed in the Supply pipe ll und Serv ing w out of? the supply fuel to the lim'nei B when the tempeiotux'e of the potei liedteol leeches a plesoi'iloed noxinnnn.

ln the form of my invention illustrated in. Fig. 2, the 'valve E is formed 'with en inlet chamber E and sin outlet olmnili" v E neotod to the inlet chamber by i port El represents e normally open, volvo nw oer wliieli close and olistruets the, f' "f to the borne-ir when the pi'oteo vice comes into operation. The stem tlle .Valve meni'boi" l projects into a 'mnlof ll eeeiving 'the .fluid heated by the l" tion of the fuel supplied tlionpgli 'the di E. As shown, the @bomber l?" is 'lofcined e tubular fitting; connected in the hot wat-:fr outlet pipe fl? from tlie inenten in olose pkoi@ imity to the lot-ter. The elismliei: 'rated from the outlet chamber t" 'valve E by n flexible dio'oliY gni l through the center of wluoli eteni passes. in the construction sie )wn the di plicogin EG is rigidly conneemi to the stom El@ ond in suoli 'manner :le 'to prevent 2:- -age between, the oliambofs E2 end ll.. end of tlie stem normally @fonte against o. liody of iffilsiole metal H which is elven-- tegeonsly lield in o plug (l seien-ed into on aperture the Woll ot the moniliei in lino with the stein o" t Le i. ve T315.

'lio the noiiniil condition o the zippamtue the fusible metal H positivelyY lioldo the Valve member lllf in its Wide. open position. The fusible metal is so olioee-n time it V"iii melt or soften when exposed to the p1' termi-ned maximum temperature o1? tlie 'duid heated et which the psoteoliiif'e device should, come into vpoiation. Tl/llien the fusible inw toziol H melts o? softens onder the temperature to which it. is to respond, the valve 'Et inmediately closes undef timootion of the spring lll which is under euioient tension lao overcome the effective iii-esente against the diaphragm E with the inoximnm fluid presente in t'no chamber in abutment Ff., and adjusting screw E" foiims xi means for adjusting the tension olf the sping E?.

'litei' tlie 'valve E nos Closed in the .ineinnei' deseiloed, it remains closed 'until the The lili

Those skilled in the art will understand that many chan ges may be' made in the form of the Vapparatus shown without departing from the spirit olvtl e invention set forth in the annexed c aims. lFor example, in such constructie is is shown in Fig 2, the diaphragm' E'jlljnay well be replaced, in some cases, by a bellows as shown inthe construction illustrated in Fig. 3 where the asV valve EA and the fitting FA differ from the valve ,E and {itting F of Fig. 2 only in the changes in form and proportion resultingr from the use of a bellows c in lieu of the diaphragm EG of Fig. 2. The use of the bellows in placent the somewhat simpler and less expensive diaphragm construction will ordinarily permit the use of a somewhat less powerful spring- ET.

`rlhe use of either the diaphragm or the bellows makes stuiiing box provisions unnecessary to prevent leakage through the apertures through which the valve stem projects from the valve casing into the chamber containing the heated fluid. Stuiing boxes may be employed with advantage in some cases, however, and in Fig. if it have illustrated a construction in whichone stuiing box, F1", is employed to prevent leakage through the aperture for the valve stem in the litting FB, and another stuffing box lill@ is employed to prevent leakage of gas out of the valve casing EB. In the construction shown in Fig. l, the iitting FB is shown as mechanically connectedv to the valve casing EB by the sleeve l which is sweated at its ends to the casing and fitting, and is cut away as indicated at l to facilitate the adjustment 'of the stuffing box lid glands. The use ot' the stul'ling boxes has 'the advantage that the force due to the presi' sure on the heated iuid against the valve stem e is comparatively small, and hence the spring e7 acting between the valve member c'L and the valve casing cup member 01.1 may be a considerablyT weaker spring than would be needed it either of the constructions shown in Figs. 2 and 3 were employed. in the construction shown in Fig. as in the other constructions illusrated, the body oi fusible metal is in direct Contact with `the heated iiuid, and the act et replacingI a holder G in which a body ci fusible metal has been softened, by another' holder with the fusible metal in proper condition serves to force the valve member into its wide open position. lt will be understood, of course7 that the holder G for body of fusible metal H which has melted or been deformed, may be out in condition for use again by pouringn -rnolten fusible metal into the cavity pro- 'd'ed in the holder and allowing the metal oiidiify.

asienta Having now described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patente is:

l. A protective device for a huid heater comprising a easing including a chamber receiving the heated fluid and formed with two apertures, a holder detachably secured to said casing and closing one of said apertures, a body of fusible material held by said holder at its inner side, and a valve mechanism controlling the fuel supply to the heater and includinga valve operating m in ber projecting into said chamber through the second of said apertures into engagement With said body oi fusible material and normally held thereby in its Valve open position, said valve mechanism also including provisions closing the valve when said usible body is heated to the softening point.

2. A protective device for a iiuid heater comprising a casing including a chamber receiving the heated fluid and formed with two apertures, holder detachably secured to said casingand closing one of said apertures, a body of fusible material held by said holder at its inner side, a valve mechanism controlling the fuel supply to the heater and including a valve operating member projecting into said chamber through the second ci said apertures into engagement with said body of fusible material and normally held thereby in its valve open position, said valve mechanism also including provisions for closingl the valvewhen said fusible body is heated to the softening1 point, and a dexible element connected to said casing and said member and uniting with the latter to close said second aperture.

A protective device 'for a fluid heater comprising an inclosure formed with a chamber receiving the heated duid and a valve chamber for the fuel supplied to the heater, and with apertures in the ,opposite walls ot the first mentioned chamber and an alined aperture in the wall of the valve chamber adjacent thereto, a valve member in said valve chamber controlling the iiow therethrough and having an operating stem projecting into the first mentioned chamber through the corresponding aperturesa means coperatingg' with said valve stem to prevent leakage out ,oit either of said chambers through the apertures traversed by the valve stem a holder detachably secured to said inclosui'e and closing the second aperture in the iirst mentioned chambera and a body of fusible metal carried at the inner side of said holder and normally engaging said valve stem to hold the valve in its open position.

RAYMONB E. LOVEKN. 

